The present invention relates to a universal work station and especially to a universal work station having a variety of quick coupling tool and work holders and adjustable legs.
The present invention is directed towards a universal work station which provides a work positioner and support by means of which articles of work of various shapes and sizes may be supported thereon in different positions on the work station and tools may be properly positioned in different positions and the legs may be rapidly modified to support heavy elongated work members, such as engines or transmissions.
Prior art work stations have been provided for supporting a great variety of work members and for supporting tools or the like. Sometimes these work members are provided with wheels or casters but typically the prior work holder is designed specifically to hold one specific type of work even though that work member may come in various sizes and shapes. Typical prior art work holders have long been devised for engines to bolt an engine block or engine directly thereto for supporting the engine while machine work or other work is being performed on the engine. These are commonly used in rebuilding or doing other machine work on internal combustion engines, such as found in automobiles. Other work stands are designed specifically to hold transmissions which are bolted onto a work station similar to that found in work holders for internal combustion engines. Other work holders have been designed for holding small engines which are not cantilevered such as to require extended support from the legs. It has also been common in the past to provide specific work holders for providing more precise alignment and this is common in work holders which hold automobile doors as well as doors for a building. The doors can be supported while they are painted or worked on and can be removed and replaced in precise alignment with the vehicle or building. It can also be used for mounting new doors and may have various types of adjustments for aligning the hinges for attaching the doors. Most of the prior art work supports either bolt the work to a specially designed fixture or have special clamps, brackets, or supporting surfaces to hold the workpiece while it is being worked upon and sometimes provides for adjusting the work piece to a variety of different positions or for final adjustments.
Prior art U.S. patents which show various types of work supports may be seen in the Hawkins et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,264, for a wheeled stand assembly having an engine mount bracket for attaching an engine block thereto and utilizing a tray forming a frame for the base. This engine mount has two extending legs with four casters thereon. In the Hanger patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,196, an engine stand is illustrated having a universal mounting apparatus for securing loads such as different size automotive engines. This engine stand is a wheeled stand having a pair of telescoping legs for increasing the support of the cantilevered engine and brackets that can be adjusted for attaching different engines. In the U.S. patent to Dubbs et al., a stand and support is provided for small engines, small motors, generators, and air compressors for use in servicing pieces of work and provides for adjusting the position of the work pieces. In the U.S. patent to Armstrong, U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,904, an automatic or standard transmission holding stand is provided which is wheeled and has attachments for transmissions which can be adjusted to different positions and the Friese patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,188,433, a work holding devices provides a uniform attachment system for attaching a variety of different work pieces to a pair of spaced work supporting arms which can have various attachments attached thereto and can be rapidly moved in and out from each other. In the Anderson patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,763,053, a universal work positioner allows a variety of adjustments through a universal joint to position a work piece in different positions. Similarly, the Webb patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,006, is a work piece mounting stand having a variety of adjustments through which is universal and it allows a work piece to be rotated in any direction. The DeRouen patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,166, is a universal jack and work positioning mechanism while the Krause patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,488,296, is a work support which can position an article in various positions while work is being done on the article. The Valenta patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,515,915, is a portable repair un.it which is on wheels and having three vertically extending telescoping U-shape supports with one having a vise mounted thereon.
In contrast to these prior art devices, the present invention is directed to a more universal work station in which engines and transmissions can be readily attached thereto for performing work thereon but at the same time small engines, electric motors, and generators can be attached through a universal connection for small components and the tool can be rapidly configured with tool trays, a tool cleaning tray with rapid coupling and a decoupling components and rapidly adjustable leg positioning system.